Page 8 of Dragon's Rejected Mate

“I like to go hiking. I love true crime shows. Once in a while I break out a canvas and do some painting. What do you do when you aren’t out saving the world?”

“Like you, I enjoy hiking. Now that I’m home, I can work on that old Shelby Mustang that I bought right before I joined the service.”

“That’s cool. Maybe we should go hiking together some time,” Jamie said.

She bit her bottom lip, not believing the words that just came out of her mouth.

Luke touched her arm briefly and said, “I would like that. Do you snow shoe?”

“Of course.”

“Terrific, then we won’t have to wait for spring.”

Luke glanced over at the hardware store next door and saw his father locking up.

“I need to be going, but I’ll see you soon,” he said.

“Thank you again for the help with the tire.”

Without even thinking about it, Jamie hugged Luke. He seemed surprised by the gesture but returned the hug before heading back over toward his father.

A jolt of electricity flowed through Jamie’s body. She could still feel his arms around her as she opened her door. She inhaled deeply as a hint of his scent lingered on her shirt. Jamie was at a loss to explain why Luke had such an impact on her.

She glanced around and happened to see Alexis staring at her from the parking lot of the spa across the street. All of the good feelings from her interaction with Luke was replaced with a shot of coldness and hatred. Any encounter with Alexis was never a good thing, and the fact that she had been watching Jamie made her upset.

The next morning, Jamie told Clara about the incident with the flat tire.

“Ooh, it seems that fate is pushing you guys together,” Clara said, teasingly.

“I don’t think that it’s fate. The hardware store that his dad owns is right next door to the grocery store. He just happened to be leaving the same time that I was changing my tire.”

“And the hug?” Clara asked, her eyebrows raised.

“It was nice. I had to admit that there might have been a few butterflies in my stomach. He is a gorgeous man, after all.”

“What is it about Luke that is different from all of the other men who have flirted with you?”

“I’ve not really paid attention to the other men. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the excitement of seeing an old acquaintance again after so many years and seeing how he’s changed.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

A couple of hours later, the bell on the door jingled. Jamie looked up, secretly hoping that it was Luke. Her hopes were instantly dashed when she saw who it was. Her hackles were raised when Alexis approached the counter and stared down her nose at Jamie.

“I saw you yesterday with Luke.”

“Did’ja now?” Jamie asked, drawing out the words.

“Luke is very hot.”

“What would you like to order?” Jamie asked.

“You know that he is out of your league. He is a hero. He is gorgeous. And you are, well this,” Alexis said, waving her hand up and down at Jamie. “He deserves to have someone with more class on his arm.”

Jamie didn’t say anything or give any indication that she even heard Alexis speak. That seemed to infuriate Alexis. Her face turned red and her fists clenched.

Clara walked up to the counter and asked in a terse voice, “Are you ordering?”

Alexis looked at Clara and back at Jamie, before turning away in a huff and practically stomping out the door.

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